Djeli Moussa Diawara is a Kora player, singer & composer. Besides his solo carrier (7 albums were released so far, his 8th will be available before the end of 2009), he's also part of the Kora Jazz Trio, he founded with Abdoulaye Diabaté (Piano) and Moussa Cissoko (Drums). He's composed most of the tracks of the 3 albums the Trio released as of today (I, II & III), mainly the ones where he sings, besides playing the Kora, and sometimes the guitar...
Through the intimate bond with his 32-stringed harp-lute, he has developed a rich musical talent, allowing him to wander from traditional rhythms from his mandingo roots to (almost) unexpected styles, such as salsa, flamenco and jazz, always pushing the boundaries of his Kora.
Since his 1st solo LP in 1983, he has toured and recorded extensively, meeting on stage or in studio, many great artists such as Carlos Santana, Ali Farka Touré, Bob Brozman, Manu Dibango, Janice deRosa, Stephan Eicher, Cheick Tidiane Seck...
With Kora Jazz Trio
With Kora Jazz Trio (Montreux Jazz Festival - July 06)
Guinean singer and composer Djeli Mousa Diawara is foremost among world players of the Kora, the African harp-lute of the Manding peoples of the Senegambia. Born in Guinea in 1962 into a family whose musical roots span generations, his father was a famous player of the balafon (Africa's wooden cousin to the xylophone), and his mother sang. He joined his family as a member of the djeli (or jali) caste - the honored griots who carry a tradition of reciting town news through improvised lyrics and melody on the kora. Like his half-brother (they share the same mother), Mory Kante, he was drilled by his elders in music, instrumental technique and a millennium's worth of oral history and genealogies.
The Kora is a demanding instrument, consisting of two parallel rows of strings attached to a notched bridge on a resonating gourd, and Djeli's confident command of it is the result of a lifetime of study and practice. He learned the fine points of playing the Kora from a brilliant performer named Batourou Sekou and gradually forged an individual style.
In the late 70s, Djeli visited Abidjan, Ivory Coast and performed for a time with the legendary Rail Band in Bamako, Mali. He eventually went solo, working with Djenne Doumbia, a remarkable singer who later graced Salif Keita's band. A British label put out his first LP "Yasimika" in 1983 and it is revered today as one of the finest African albums of all time. Following a series of false starts, he began to record for the Paris-based Melodie label, and his works were rapturously received by the press and public. His mid-nineties release FLAMENKORA is a richly diverse set that underscores the shared Moorish roots of Flamenco and the Djeli tradition, combining sultry, Latin-tinged dance grooves with song of the ancient Manding Empire. With a simple palette of Kora and voice, Djeli Moussa Diawara has fashioned his heritage into sounds and emotions that speak eloquently to a contemporary audience.
In 2000, Djeli recorded Ocean Blues - from Africa to Hawaï with Bob Brozman, the famous rhythmic & slide guitar player.
Bob and Djeli first met in April 1999 on Réunion Island, Indian Ocean, where they were performing at the same festival, while Bob was there working and recording with René Lacaille. Bob was knocked out by the innovative and expressive qualities of Djeli's Kora playing and musical approach. He then invited Djeli to join him in Quebec as part of the International Troupe that Bob organized for the 1999 festival season. At that point, the musical exchange between Djeli and Bob literally cried out for a collaboration. By October, all was arranged for Djeli to make his first trip to America, to record in California.
"Ocean Blues" was recorded in real time, as this music cannot really be rehearsed - and that requires an intense musical presence and focus, which can be heard on this project. The only pre-planning for any song was a brief discussion of the key or mode, and of the rhythm to be used. On "Voyage dans le Desert," the two eagerly tried an experiment in which Bob put the kora into an Arabic mode, a tuning which Djeli had never played in before, and the two immediately recorded after hearing a few seconds of what Djeli could play in that tuning. This is but one example of the entire process of this record: each musician reacts to the other, and together they learn, compose, perform, and record all at once.
Djeli Moussa Diawara, now living near Paris (France), is working on his new solo album, his 8th as a composer, performer and singer. It will be released before the end of 2009... 4 of his upcoming tracks are available in the above player for your listening pleasure. His inspiration takes us in a journey from Guinean mood to classical Jazz, through the rich musical heritage of Madagascar...
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